


Retail Therapy

by eshiza



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Retail, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-13
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-01-08 16:04:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1134705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eshiza/pseuds/eshiza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Erwin is a semi-professional boxer who's moved recently for a better work contract but has trouble knowing what to get when he's not told exactly what to buy. Levi is a smartass retail worker that's only kept because of his seemly too good knowledge of training for various sports and equipment that the store carries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shopping

I am literally so tired of my retail job this is my indulgence AU because customers are seriously difficult and I like to dream 

* * *

 

Tap tap tap

Erwin drummed his finger against the plastic of the package in his hand unconsciously as he read the tiny text instructing how the device was supposed to be used. It appeared to be a set of whiffle balls attached to wires on jump rope handles and looked pretty cheap although it was supposed to be an alternative to jumping rope to strengthen arms without actually having to jump over a rope; for training or health reasons he gathered. Switching his attention to the wall that held many other devices such as this, he picked up a standard leather rope with wooden handles, and almost identical to the one that he had come in to replace.

“Um, Are you finding everything okay today Sir?” A sweet girly voice said from behind him. Looking over his shoulder Erwin saw a tiny blonde girl that almost looked like a child peering up at him holding packages of items in her arms and a small name tag clipped to her shirt that read ‘Christa’.

“You wouldn’t happen to know what would be best for someone who hasn’t bought new equipment since the 80’s would you?” he said with a slightly embarrassed smile. Cocking her head in a thoughtful expression she shook her head. “I’m new here and just do stocking and tennis for fun so I don’t know much about athletics other than that area. But I would see if you can find a small black haired guy wandering around putting things away, he’s really knowledgeable about general training and boxing items. Sorry I couldn’t help more.” She said embarrassed.

“No thank you, it’s a start.” Erwin said turning to scan the surrounding areas for such a person. Christa scurried away to a few aisles over as he headed his own way, to look for the boy she had suggested him to find. After wandering around for a little bit he heard an employee and a customer, both sounding dejected and irritated.

“And what I’m telling you is we don’t have it. I haven’t seen it out for a while and we don’t have a back stock, what you see is what we have.”  
“I drove two hours for this! Your website said you had 3 in stock and I expected it to be here, you’ll be receiving a very angry letter this week about your lack of customer service!” The person said angrily while stomping off. When Erwin finally got view of the employee next to a giant stocking cart full of boxes and empty wrappers he saw the slightest eye roll and shaking of the head before the boy turned back to grab things off the cart. Erwin felt slightly bad for him and in his pity noticed the small stature and black hair that Christa mentioned and thought that this must be the guy he was looking for. Taking a few steps towards him he called out

“Um excuse me! Can you help me find something?”

The boy looked at him, not stopping his task with a very unpleasant look on his face. “What are you looking for?”

“Training equipment but I-”  
“Three aisles over to the left and head straight, that’s where all the general stuff is.” he said grabbing a box and taking it to a rack of shoes cutting him off.  
“No I was wondering about an opinion, I haven’t bought new equipment in a long time and the girl over there said to ask you.” Erwin started trying not to lose him. The boy paused and Erwin noticed him cleverly hiding a deep sigh as he straightened up crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Okay what can I help you with Sir.”

Erwin held out the two packages in his hands “Well I’ve had this one for years but it finally wore out, but my trainer recommended looking into other options and mixing things up. I’ve been boxing for a while but I have no idea what would be beneficial at this point.” The boy grabbed the edge of the package in Erwin’s right hand and tilted it down glancing at the photo before doing the same with the package in his left. “You can honestly go with either, the first one is more for people who take jump rope seriously and want to train their arms and endurance, but it can help save the knees in the long run if you’re not actually wrecking them by jumping up and down all the time. The rope itself is thick and heavy and meant to train someone who uses their arms but needs cardio as a warm up. If you’re used to the rope I would stick with it, you look like someone that would smack themselves in the face with the whiffle balls.” Erwin was surprised at how blunt the boy was, but he knew what he was talking about it seemed. “Anything else Sir?” the boy said snapping Erwin to attention.

“Uh yeah, I need home training equipment. I just moved into town and had to downsize in the move…..” Erwin glanced down at the nametag “...Levi” Levi shot him a glare upon him using his name “You have a gym membership, you don’t need to pump iron at home unless you want to wreck your body.” He stated grabbing the box off the floor and walking away in what seemed to be a normal bad mood. Erwin just sighed and looked at the packages in his hands mentally weighing his options. Glancing at his watch he knew he had to get going or he was going to be late for a meeting with an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. Finding the register with the shortest line the cashier went through all the normal questions “Hi how are you today?” “Did you find everything you need today?” and Erwin shrugged “No but I’ll grab it when I’m in less of a hurry.” Paying on his card he was quickly on his way eager to meet up with Mike again.


	2. old friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin and Mike catch up on things since they went their separate ways in college

“Levi see me in the back room at your convenience” He heard his shift lead say over the ear piece. Levi scowled and put his box back on the cart in the center of the aisle and slightly less out of people’s way before heading over to the double doors under a sign that said ‘EMPLOYEES ONLY’ in large letters. He knew what was coming couldn’t be good.  
  
“So what was that about?” his boss asked as he rounded the corner away from the walkway  
  
“I don’t know what you mean”

“I was observing you working with those customers and it seems you don’t remember our little talk last month.” His boss stated, looming a good foot and a half over Levi’s head. Levi just returned his bosses harsh stare.

 

“One customer asked about an item that was out of stock and the other wanted to know what was their best option. I let the first know that we don’t carry what he needed and I suggested the best of the two items, I don’t see what’s wrong with that.” His boss crossed his arms in front of this large muscled chest.  
  
“But you didn’t do it right. I had the first customer report you and the second left dissatisfied according to his cashier. I’m going to have to write you up again for attitude and failure to foster an inspiring work environment for our customers to shop in.”

 

“Basically the same thing….” Levi muttered under his breath  
  
“Excuse me?”   
“Nothing Sir.”  
  
“I didn’t think so. This is your last warning, next time you get reported you’re fired.” His boss said turning to the locked office area that was just behind him. Levi just rolled his eyes at the statement knowing he’d have to at least act like he didn’t hate everything for a bit to get his bosses off his back.

 

“You know you could try smiling or something, I’m surprised they don’t put you on reception and stocking with your sunny disposition.” A Voice said from behind a stack of boxes stacked about 8 feet high. A dark freckled face peered over the boxes with a sneer. “What ever Ymir, when are you back on the clock? I want to take my break soon.”

 

“As soon as I’m allowed to clock back in dude. Can I take your spot on the floor when I’m done?”

 

“Sure why not” he shrugged. He knew that she wanted to stock near Christa since they both got along decently and Levi didn’t mind working in the equipment area. It was mostly just wiping things down and the foot traffic was much less than the general hardlines since the average person didn’t come in to drop a few hundred dollars on a moving sidewalk. The few guys that came in looking for actual training equipment didn’t bother Levi as much as the average Joe since he knew what he was talking about and talk specs all they wanted. “Thanks dude!” Ymir called out as he turned to head back onto the floor, promptly ignoring her and heading back to his U-boat to finish up stocking

 

* * *

 

“Did you come straight from the gym?” Mike asked sniffing the air as Erwin sat down.

 

“No, I ran through the parking lot to get here on time” Erwin said unzipping his windbreaker and taking a sip of the water that was already on the table.  
  
“Not sure if you’re being sarcastic or not…..” Mike said pulling the menu in front of him open. The restaurant they met at was nice, nothing black tie, but not the place one would show up in jeans at. Mike had been on time and grabbed the table while Erwin parked, slightly embarrassed at being late to seeing his best friend for the first time in a few years.

 

“So how’s the gig now that you’re out here?” Mike asked not taking his eyes off the menu. Erwin sighed before responding and Mike could only laugh,

 

“That bad? I thought that this is what you wanted, to get out of the office and put your hobby to actual use.”

 

Mike wasn’t wrong, the job wasn’t bad but it was completely different that the 9-5 office job he had worked at for a gym doing planning and finances before taking one of the instructors up on an offer to train and try and go semi pro on his hobby of working out after hours. The main problem was that Erwin hadn’t worked his body out for a serious job since his days on the high school football team and recruitment into a college team was a very real prospect for him. He hadn’t been able to follow through on any of his offers due to a freak car accident he and Mike had gotten into a few months before graduation, messing up Erwin’s arm and leg enough to disqualify him from any offers that he had wanted to accept. Erwin mulled over a response but the best he could come up with a shrug,

 

“It’s better, but daunting. Like high school all over again without the pimples.” Mike nodded as he remembered years ago where they would sit at desks all day then be forced out onto the field for hours to train their stiff muscles running plays until someone puked or the sun was far below the horizon. He had to admit that he didn’t exactly miss those days and glad that he never pursued sports seriously in college. He hadn’t really ever measured up to Erwin’s intellect or strength, but they hadn’t been scouted by some of the same schools for nothing. While Erwin faced physical therapy and limitations due to his injuries, Mike used his size for jobs in his early days of college, being a bouncer at local clubs downtown to help with the day to day finances that grants didn’t cover.

 

“Yeah those were the days….” Erwin murmured “What did you end up doing after you moved for that internship Mike? I know you said you changed majors but I never heard what it was to.”  
  
“Security work essentially, I’m now working as a security analyst for a small chain company.”

 

“Oooo how fancy.” Erwin teased “Do you sniff out their problems too?”

 

Mike smiled at the joke; Erwin was probably the only one who could still tease him about the old quirk that had many times left Mike making disgusted faces whenever they had to shake hands with opposing teams.

 

“Heh just about as well as I can sniff out your intentions” Mike said as a waiter came up to their table causing Mike to go quiet.

 

“Are you two ready to order?” The man asked pulling out a small leather bound pad from his apron

“Filet Mignon please.” Mike said looking over to Erwin

“Smoked Salmon for me.” Erwin said handing his menu to the waiter with a charming smile. The waiter took the menu from Mike and he veered back to their conversation when the man had left.  
  
“Please don’t tell me you moved out here to be closer to me Erwin, I know you’re cunning but if you wanted to keep in touch just get a facebook.” Erwin took an uncomfortable swig from his glass and looked away from Mike.

 

“I didn’t take the job to be closer to you, it just happened to relocated me to this city.”

 

“Erwin…”

 

“I’m not lying Mike. You being here was just another reason to take the contract. I know we had our rough times after the accident but you really need to know I don’t blame you. It was a freak accident and we just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Erwin said. Mike knew it was true, a semi rolling 2 cars in front of them really wasn’t their fault but since Mike had been the driver and accidently rolled their car onto the passenger side and trapped and injured Erwin he always felt partly to blame for messing up Erwin’s life.

  
“Come on Mike, we’re adults now. We have salaries and pay bills, I think that outweighs the eating frootloops in the morning.” Mike couldn’t help but smile and held a hand out resting his elbow on the table. Erwin grinned and clasped his hand tightly in their old challenging handshake. It was nice having his best friend back again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *A* Thank you guys for all the Kudos! I seriously just word barfed the first chapter on my lunch break and didn't think anyone would read it haha. Gonna try and refine things a lot more from here on out and get the word count per chapter up to being something reasonable. Thank you for the read and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter on a bit of Mike and Erwin's background!


	3. training

“Come on man where's the old one two punch?” Mike teased from behind a punching bag. Erwin's eyebrow twitched in frustration and started punching at the bag in a one two rhythm imaging it was his friend. "Oh come on harder baby" Mike continued to push. finally Erwin really Let him have it and landed a Satisfying punch on the bag that gave him a slight grunt from Mike as well, indicating that he had done well; and more importantly done with training for the night. Pulling off a glove using his underarm Erwin wiped his drenched Brow with the back of his hand.

 

“Thanks again for coming and helping me out Mike” Ewrin said pulling his second glove off and dumping them next to his water bottle before picking it up and taking a long drink.

 

“I’m more than happy Erwin.” Mike said pushing the hanging bag aside and plopping down on the ground next to his own water. “But why won’t the people that hired you actually train you?” He asked uncapping his bottle. Erwin shrugged, “Time.”

 

“Aren’t you an investment though?”

 

“Half, there are other guys signed on for more than me, so they get priority everything. I mostly get midday to work with the trainers since it’s the only time that isn’t crammed full.”

 

“Erwin you need to have them provide you a trainer of some sort. This is fun and all, but I can’t replace someone who’s job is to get you fit. I don’t mind being a workout buddy, but you’re gonna have to find someone else to help you with your job.” Erwin looked down at his shoes, knowing Mike was right. He did need a real trainer or something, but he didn’t get paid enough to train with someone outside of his designated gym. “Hey don’t worry about it right now, wasn’t this supposed to relax you?” Mike said gruffly noticing his friend getting down about his situation. “Hey what about a beer or two? I think there’s a game on too, we could swing by the bar and grab a few drinks; That’ll relax you for sure.” Erwin scrunched up his nose.

 

“And who’ll DD?”

“I’ll buy a cab if you let me crash at your place.” Mike offered getting up to head to the showers, already determined to get a beer whether Erwin was coming or not. Erwin sighed, admitting defeat to his friend’s peer pressure. At the very least a beer was a beer right?  
  
After the men showered they piled into Mike’s car and headed out for somewhere inbetween the gym and Erwin’s place. Mike had been living in the city for a number of years and knew it far better than Erwin could have even with his trusty cell phone armed with google. They arrived after about 10 minutes in light traffic, parking in a fenced lot a couple of stores away from the bar itself. Erwin zipped up his light sweater, wishing he had worn something heavier as they got out, waiting for Mike to lock the car up before they headed down in the chilly autumn weather. It wasn’t too bad during the day, but he had quickly learned that the night held a bite to its darkness and always took care to pack at least a light jacket or sweater. They walked into the bar, greeted with a blast of warm air, and a rush of patron’s watching football on one of the big screen tvs around the establishment. Mike instantly went and greeted the bartender, a man a few years older than them, but hardy and built like someone who could take care of anyone that got too drunk under his roof. Taking a seat near the center of the bar, Mike slid him a mug of beer with a huge smile,

 

“You’ll enjoy it don’t worry” he said taking a swig. Erwin spun the liquid around in the glass a few times before smelling it, the only smelling habit he had ever picked up from Mike.

 

“It’s a beer, not a glass of rich ass-wine.” A voice stated from a few seats down. Erwin pulled his nose out of the mug to look over and see a familiar face

 

“You’re that kid from the sporting goods store, Levi was it?”

 

“Yeah and I’m off the clock so I’m not required to talk to fuckers like you.” Levi said taking a long drink out of the bottle in his hand. Erwin rubbed the back of his neck remembering their encounter a few weeks prior. “Ah that’s right that guy before me was a bit of trouble huh? I hope he wasn’t that bad.”

“No just another write up at work because I don’t kiss everyone’s ass to make a sale.” he stated as  strawberry blonde girl came up beside him and crossed her arms as he avoided her angered gaze.

 

“What is this? Another write up at work Levi?” He continued to ignore her as he waved for a new bottle from the bartender, but she didn’t budge with her face looking more and more irritated by the second.

“Levi you can’t lose this job I swear to god I do not know what we’ll be able to do.” She hissed at him

“I won’t lose the job. I’m just going to lie low for a few months until the internship at the school and facility center opens up.” The girl sighed looking to Erwin at this point,

 

“I’m sorry if this knucklehead caused you any problems Sir, I’m Petra, and if there’s any way I can fix any harm he caused you please let me know.”

Erwin cocked an eyebrow slightly confused, “No Harm done Ma’am, he was helpful and handled the situation about as well as I would have after dealing with customers that difficult.” Petra sighed in relief,

 

“You’re one of the few understanding ones….” he heard her murmur before turning back to chastise Levi as he downed his new bottle.

 

“Er, I know it’s out of place but are you two… together?” Erwin asked. Petra immediately went white as a sheet and Levi stopped drinking to shoot him a nasty glare. Erwin was about to apologize before a young man came over with a beer in one hand and put his arm around Levi’s neck in a playful manner

 

“YeaH LEvi, What’s YouR OFFicial relaTION with THe loVELY miss PEtra?” he said in an intoxicated manner.

 

“Shoved off Erd.” Levi said trying to push his friend away. Another guy with a harsh mug came up to them and was visibly angry at what was said,

 

‘WHAT IS THIS? Petra how could you not come to me first?! Have I not always offered my kindness to you I-I-” And he suddenly broke down in a drunk sad sort of crying with hiccups in between, resting his head on a comrade near him.

 

“Come on Auruo, it’ll be okay. You won’t remember any of this tomorrow -I hope-” He quietly added. Petra shoved her face into her hands in embarrassment and started yelling at them saying “FLATMATES! FLATMATES! NOTHING MORE!”

 

“Gunther just get him back to the couch” Levi said not looking at any of them, clearly irritated.

 

“Aww look at you making friends.” Mike said wobbling as he put an arm around Erwin’s shoulder. Erwin looked at his forgotten glass of beer and offered it to Mike, who quickly emptied what was left in his before putting it on the bar and taking Erwin’s off his hands.

 

“So, you mentioned that you were trying to get an internship? What are you in school for?” Taking a drink and leaning heavily against Erwin who tried to hold his friend steady.

 

“Bachelors in Fitness wellness I think is the official title.”

 

“So PE teacher?”  
  
“More like someone who actually knows what they’re talking about and is paid to give back the shit they’re dealt. I’d rather be a personal trainer or a professional coach than a snot nosed babysitter.”

 

“Aren’t they the same thing though?” Erwin said with a bit of humor in his voice, to which Levi responded with a smirk,

 

“Yeah but I can beat a grown ass man into shape when he whines.”  
  
“So you’re serious about it then?” Mike cut in, already halfway done with Erwin’s mug. “Cause I know someone who could use a personal trainer.” and in that moment Erwin felt all the color drain out of his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyyyyy sorry about the wait, I should have had this up yesterday but I have no idea what took me so long to finish this little bit up. Also yes yes it is Erwin/Levi don't worry, Petra will play a very similar role to the original series.


	4. Mutual agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There’s no point in running somewhere if you don’t know where you’re running to….” Levi told him twisting his back the other way “Figure out what you want to accomplish and then maybe I’ll actually be some help to you.”

Levi might have been slightly buzzed and on the road to being full on drunk by the time the night was through, but the proposal placed in front of him caught his attention, and tried to clearly process what the men were saying. He noticed Erwin had lost a bit of color in his face and kept glancing between them, looking slightly worried for some reason.

 

“Mike…. I don’t know if this is a good idea, I don’t think Shadis would be too pleased in me bringing in kids into the training facility. He isn’t certified-”

 

“And neither am I.” Mike cut in waving his hand “Didn’t stop you from having me hold your punching bag. At least he’ll be able to help you, and he’ll get real life experience or something.”

 

Levi thought this sounded good, too good in fact. How often does one end up being handed their preferred job over a drink at a bar while still in school.

 

“But I didn’t pay you, and I’m not given the funds to pay a decent trainers wage.”

 

And there it was. Money. The little thing that made the world go round. This threw a wrench into what little hope Levi had of quitting his shitty retail job but maybe it was still worth it to bite.

 

“What about a trade?” Levi said taking a gander at Erwin’s doubt.

 

“What do you mean?” and there it was

 

“Well you seem to be able to go out and eat with your friend and drive home everyday after work right? Buy me a meal and give me a ride on days I train you, does that seem reasonable at least?” Levi knew he was pushing it with asking for a ride but that’s how you haggle, overshoot and if they take it nothing lost. He watched as Erwin mulled over his thoughts for a few seconds before holding out a hand,

 

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

Levi was stunned that he accepted so quickly but didn’t let his emotions surface and silently shook Erwin’s outstretched hand.

 

“I have thursday morning off, is 9 a good time to start?” He said staring the man down like the prey he had just become.

 

Erwin grasped his hand firmly, returning the cold gaze simply stating,

 

“I’ll be there”

 

* * *

 

And there it was; 9 am on the dot and Erwin was not there. Levi kept the napkin that had the address of the gym tucked in his coat pocket, making sure he was at the right spot. He sunk down into his coat and kicked the pavement with the tip of his boot internally cursing Erwin and the cold before deciding to go wait just inside the door. He shifted his gym bag back up further onto his shoulder before pushing the door open, greeted by a blast of warm air. He shuffled in, pulling his scarf down and picking a seat on a bench next the the receptionist’s desk where a barricade protruding from the desk to opposing side of the wall which seemed to open up in sections for people with an electronic card. People came and went for a few minutes while Levi slowly began to slouch up against the wall glancing at his phone every few seconds getting more and more irritated. At 9:08 the receptionist finally acknowledged Levi’s presence,

 

“Sir can I help you with anything today?” she called over her counter, peeking out from behind the computer screen at him.

 

“I’m waiting for someone.” He said bluntly

 

“Do you want me to page them? I’m sure it would be much faster than waiting for them to come down….” Levi sighed at her persistence,

 

“I’m looking for an Erwin Smith ma’am.” She tapped at her keyboard for a few seconds before smiling at him, “I’ve sent him an alert, it doesn’t seem as though he’s come in yet but I’m sure he’ll be here soon. Mr. Smith is usually never more than 10 minutes late.”

 

Levi huffed sinking back into the bench, he hated receptionists and people who worked to kiss ass, but he hated rude customers more and choose to not say anything more. Working retail really opened up his eyes and proved time and time again how rude and stupid people could be. He really didn’t want to keep putting up with people like the poor receptionist after school but a livable pay wage and making cocky asses cry in pain would be worth it. The doors swing open at that moment and Erwin brust in less than gracefully, panting and letting out a mess of an apology to Levi on being late, something about traffic or another. After taking a second to pause he waved at the woman behind the desk and waved his hand to usher Levi to follow. He pulled a wallet from his coat pocket and touched it to the gate, opening up the bars long enough for him and Levi to get through. He lead him down the hall, passing a set of stairs, an indoor basketball court and weight room before they took a turn and arrived at the locker room. All levi could think was that it was dirty and gross and how much it reminded him of his days of communal bathrooms and showers in the dorms. Erwin went over to a wall of lockers and crouched down turning the dial on a floor locker and opening it up. He rustled around in it for a few seconds as Levi stood near him, watching him try and find something. Finally Erwin pulled his hand out and pushed a lock with a key in it into Levi’s hands.

 

“There should be some empty lockers around the corner that you can store your stuff in, feel free to stash any clothes or other stuff you don’t want to take home in it.” He said with a smile, pulling out some workout clothes from his locker. Levi huffed in thanks at him and went around the corner and picked an upper locker that he made sure was vacant before hooking the lock on the door to keep it open and unzipping his gym bag to pull out everything he needed. He quickly got changed into old gym shorts and a dingy wife beater, taking  a seat on a bench in the middle of the rows of lockers before putting his shoes on and put on his soft knee and ankle braces out of habit. He grabbed his clipboard before shoving the bag away and locking it up, stashing the key in his pocket, and rounding the corner to spy Erwin just outside the locker room door waiting for him. Levi went up by his side as Erwin swiveled his head around to see him,

 

“Are you ready?”

 

“Lead the way you big lug.”

 

Erwin sighed in sense of his impending doom, knowing that this wouldn’t be like training with Mike. He lead Levi back to the main hallway and up the stairs they had passed on the way up, over to an empty training area. He knew that all the empty rooms and the weight room would be full with the company’s trainers and first priorities trying to get them set for the day before turning their attention to people like Erwin. He noticed Levi keeping his head forward, but his eyes darting back and forth, trying to memorise their surroundings as they passed by. They passed by the indoor track and over to Erwin’s usual secluded spot in a corner or the floor that was out of the way. Erwin put down his water bottle and usual training equipment as Levi remained unmoving behind him.

 

“This is it?”

 

“This is it..” Erwin sighed “At least until one of the punching bags or the ring opens up, but that usually isn’t until later.” Levi sighed,

 

“Down on the floor then and we’ll stretch-”

 

“We?” Erwin interrupted him

 

“Yes ‘We’” Levi said setting his clipboard down next to Erwin’s stuff and sitting down on the floor, rolling his shoulder back a few times to let them pop.

 

“Are you used to calls or are you more of the silent type?” Levi asked turning to rotating his body to crack his back.

 

“Uh I’m fine with either.” Erwin said sitting down across from Levi on the hard floor.

 

“I’ll tell you when to switch then” Levi said pulling his right arm across his chest and holding it in place with the inside of his left elbow. Erwin knew the stretches well and mimicked Levi’s actions, not sure what to say.

 

“What sports did you did before this?” Levi said breaking the small silence between them before switching arms and hold the left arm up against his chest with the inside of his right arm.

 

“Uhhhhhh….. football.” Levi huffed at him and Erwin sent a scowl his way “I played football from about when I was 12 until I got in a car accident just before my high school graduation.” Levi switched back to his left arm, and put it behind his head, pushing the elbow down with his opposing hand,

 

“That’s it? No football in college due to injuries I take it, what kind of injuries did you get from the accident?”

 

“Broken bones and junk in my left arm and right leg. It was a good few months letting them heal and then being in physical therapy for another year or so.” He finished catching on to Levi’s timing and switching arms at the same moment as him.

 

“What about you kiddo? Why the braces?” He said nodding his head to Levi’s leg. Levi glared at him, being called a kid,

 

“The injuries are from not stretching as a kid and running too much every day. This isn’t a date old man, it’s an evaluation. How did you get a job here, and what are you supposed to be accomplishing?” He said sharply, cutting off any openness to more questions from Erwin. Levi started twisting his back again, and Erwin followed suit.

 

“I got a 9-5 desk job and started going to the gym, helping out, got good and got an offer to come be semi pro here. It’s not a ton of events but it’s better than sitting at a cubicle all day. I guess I want to go full time in the end.”

 

“There’s no point in running somewhere if you don’t know where you’re running to….” Levi told him twisting his back the other way “Figure out what you want to accomplish and then maybe I’ll actually be some help to you.” Erwin inflected know it was true, but he honestly had no idea what he wanted other than going pro and being able to work more and getting more opportunities.

 

“Legs.” Levi demanded, snapping Erwin back to his stretches. He pushed his right leg out, and curled his right leg in, reach out and stretching out to grab his foot, chest coming close to his leg. They didn’t say anything through the full cycle of each leg and Erwin began to stand up before Levi swung his leg around, smacking Erwin in the ankle. “You forgot your center.” Erwin rolled his eyes slightly before noticing the glare Levi was giving him. Reluctantly he opened up his legs and reached out to the center of the floor, noticing Levi watching him intently.

 

“You’re not trying.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You’re not trying.” Levi repeated, starting to get up. Erwin followed and attempted to get up before he was stopped in his tracks,

 

“Stay down, I’ll push your back so it stretches properly.” He said walking behind Erwin. He placed his forearms on Erwin’s back, pushing down when Erwin stretched out. He had to admit it hurt a little, not used to stretching the position properly and feeling Levi’s thin arms dig into his back. They held the position for 10 seconds before Levi retracted and signaled Erwin to be done. He walked over to Erwin’s stuff and picked up a jump rope, one of the ones he had asked Levi about the day they first met he notice. He tossed it Erwin’s way, and he caught it mid air, taking a handle in each hand, and automatically putting himself into a starting position.

 

“We’re going to do pyramids to warm you up and so I can get an idea on your endurance.” Levi said picking up his clipboard and leaning up against the wall.

 

“huh?” Erwin asked confused

 

“Run in place with the rope, normal, you’ll do a 3 minute round, 1 minute round, 30 second round, then a 1 and 3 minute rounds again. You’ll get a rest of the same time as when you just jumped between each round. Hopefully you’re decent enough that we’ll be able to add 5 minute rounds at the start and end of each pyramid.” Levi stated picking up a stopwatch that was tied to the top of his clip board. “Ready? Go.”

 

Levi was wrong, and Erwin was dying at the 2 minute mark due to Levi pushing him whenever he got too slow.

 

“faster” Erwin sped up

 

“faster” Erwin sped up slightly, pushing himself harder.  
  
“15 seconds. Faster Erwin. If you’re going to run no where you may as well run fast.” Erwin gritted his teeth, trying his best to move the stupid rope faster, lungs burning and arms strained.

 

“Time.” Levi said picking up Erwin’s water bottle and rolling it across the floor to where Erwin was panting, hands on his knees and hair pretty disheveled. He picked up the water bottle and drank it down quickly, tried and grateful for the break.

 

“You’re going to get a stitch in your side…. Keep moving around” Levi instructed him. Erwin began to pace back and forth, letting his heart try and work it’s pace back down, taking smaller portions of water.

 

“Two minutes left old man. Are you really this badly out of shape?” Levi asked keeping an eye on the stopwatch in his hand.

 

“I jump to warm up, not to actually train.” Erwin panted at him

 

“This is warm up Erwin. Time to figure out what you’re going to be training so hard for.” Levi said blandly and it was then that Erwin only realised the hell he had submitted himself to.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooooooooooo sorry I missed posting a chapter last week but here's an extra long chapter to make up for it. I've been trying to take after Erwin and being good about going back to the gym for reference and good habits, so his gym layout is based off of the one I go to.


	5. Proof

The rest of the workout went on and on, Levi taking notes about Erwin's endurance, heart rate, and limits as he pushed Erwin around the gym. He took notes as Erwin did squats, and dead lifting, helping spot him on the bench press hovering above Erwin's upper body as he lifted the bar up and down doing few but heavy reps. When Erwin was done with his set he stopped to catch his breath, taking his water bottle from Levi who diligently carried it around for him as they bounced from area to area. As he took a huge swig of water he heard a familiar voice call to him

"Oi Erwin, who's the fresh meat?"

Erwin turned his head and put his water bottle down to free his hand and extend a handshake to the dark haired man.

"Hey Nile, what's going on?" Nile grasped his hand firmly, giving it a strong shake before releasing it again.

"Not much, just finished my training session in the ring with Shadis.” He stated rolling his shoulder with a huge grin on his face. Levi turned his back to the pair trying to avoid the man he didn’t know, making himself busy taking the weights off the ends of the the bar Erwin had been lifting.

“So is this your new trainee? I didn’t know they allowed people as new as you to become mentors so quickly, I mean I guess you have the free time and all since you don’t have as many tournaments to go too.”

“Uh Nile, he’s not really-”

“Oh come on kid let’s see you bench, I know you’re brand new at this so Mr. Smith couldn’t have messed up too bad yet.”

Levi turned to him, 50 pound weight in his arms and shot him a look that Erwin couldn’t quite decipher. He saw that there was still 100 pounds left on the bar, but with the 50 pound bar he wasn’t quite sure if that was close to what Levi could lift or not.

“Come onnnnn, 150 should be nothing for you if you want to get anywhere. Better start learning now, let’s see a set of 10 reps.” Nile edged on, grin growing wide trying to embarrass one of them with the small test. Levi didn’t say anything as he stacked the 50 pound weight with the others, stretching his arms a little before going over to the bench. Nile crossed his arms in glee as Levi waved Erwin over to spot him before sliding under the bar. Erwin stood at the end of the bench, legs bracing his body, looking down at Levi’s upside down face, pulling the bar up when Levi’s hands were in position and retracting them to let him bring the bar down to his chest. As Levi lifted the bar, Erwin began the awkward process of pulling his hands under and out from the bar in case it slipped and he could help prevent Levi from crushing his ribs. Erwin watched him, eyes taking a good look at the young man below for the first time, observing and mentally noting. He watched as Levi’s muscles stretched and tensed as he pushed the bar to and from his chest, giving his small frame more power than it let on to have. His chest rose and fell with his reps, letting Erwin know that while this was a challenge for him, he wasn’t struggling and that it seemed to be an average weight that he was used to; knowing how to pace himself for more sets.

“Oh ho looks like you’re not half bad starting.” Nile said with an impressed whistle as Levi finished his last rep and locked the bar back into place above his head. Erwin finished up taking the last of the weights off the bar and back over with the rest of the set as Levi sat himself up on the bench and wiped his hands on his shirt as Nile tried to make conversation with him. Erwin watched them the best he could out of his peripheral vision before seeing Nile extend a handshake and Levi shrugging before standing up and shoving his hands into his pockets and walking over to where Erwin was killing time and not actually organizing any of the weights he had put back.

“Where’d you put my stuff lollygagger?”

“Levi why did you do that? You didn’t have to prove anything to him.” Erwin asked not beating around the bush, curious on why the no nonsense boy would go out of his way to do something he wasn’t required to.

“I know, I wasn’t trying to prove anything to him” he said looking around the room for his clipboard. Erwin pursed his lips thinking of what to respond with when Levi found his stuff and turned to him “I was trying to prove it to you.” before walking back to the stairs and heading to the locker room. 

By the time Erwin caught up to Levi he heard the showers running in the locker room and glanced over to see a bit of black tuff and a lot of steam rising from the top of a stall near the end of the row. Erwin left him alone, grabbing his towel from his locker and stripping down, wrapping himself up before snagging his toiletries and picking a shower stall on the other side of the showering line from Levi. About halfway through soaping up his upper body Erwin heard the water from the other shower turn off and the squeaking of flip flops on tile that were silenced by carpet after a few seconds. As he washed his body Erwin pondered what Levi meant when he said he did it to prove it to Erwin…. But to prove what? That he was capable? That he knew what he was doing? or was there something more? To push him to make his ‘Choice’? Erwin thought about it letting the water run down his body until all the soap suds were long gone. After snapping to, he shut off the water, dried himself off and wrapped his towel around his midsection; grabbing his stuff and heading back over to his locker where he was greeted by Levi in a tshirt and jeans, sitting on the bench across from Erwin’s locker. He had a backpack and jacket in a pile next to him, hair looking as though it was about to drip onto his pants; obviously combed then tussled up a bit so it wouldn’t stick to his head.

“Done so soon?” Erwin chuckled putting the combo into his locker. Erwin heard a rustle of clothes behind his back which he took as a shrug, opening up the small door and pulling his clothes out. Erwin glanced over his shoulder to see Levi still staring at him intently and heard a small sigh come from the boy as he got up to give Erwin some privacy as he got dressed. Levi took the opportunity to poke around the area right outside the locker room to kill some time. There was a vending machine set around the corner, one filled with snacks like protein bars and trail mix and other small things grossly over priced. There was also a vending machine next to it for water bottles, power aid, and protein shakes, again marked up way beyond their retail value. He shuffled around for a few more minutes, looking in windows, watching people come and go past the reception lady, and looking at photographs and awards on the wall. Heading back to the locker room, he was met at the entrance with Erwin carrying Levi’s stuff in arm, his own jacket thrown on in haste over a polo shirt tucked into some black slacks. 

“At least you clean up decently.” Levi snorted taking his jacket from Erwin, shuffling to the side of the door so he wouldn’t be in the way.

“Part of the job.” Erwin chuckled holding out Levi’s backpack as he finished zipping up his jacket. Taking it and swinging over his shoulders he nodded his head in the direction of the exit,

“What’s for breakfast? Denny’s?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter isn't too long compared to how long I've been putting it off ^^; Capstone is kicking my butt and I've had very little time to write. At least this finally got over my block and I can jump into the more fun domestic life and Levi's hardships next


	6. Breakfast for two

Levi didn’t actually think that Erwin serious, but there they were sitting in a booth at Denny’s.

“And I’ll have the ‘Build your own Grand Slam’ with 3 orders of pancakes and a side of sourdough toast” Erwin said flashing a smile at the waitress.

“Pancakes? Are you like 5?” Levi said gathering up his menu items and handing them to the woman.

“Carbs; and you’re off by about 22 years.” he said as Levi rolled his eyes at him, handing his menu to the waitress with an added “Thanks Cindy.”

“Oh come on Levi, why so irritable all the time?” he said taking a sip from the cup of water in front of him. 

“Tch, what because I don’t smile all the time and act pleasant to people I don’t know like you?” Levi scoffed at him, grabbing a couple of sugar packets from the end of the table and ripping to tops off before dumping them in his coffee.

“Oh? Being pleasant that much of a chore?” Erwin said, baiting him with another toothy grin.

“No, I work for minimum wage. Have you ever worked retail? It doesn’t exactly give you faith in humanity.”

“Can’t say I have to be honest. I helped my dad out and he just paid for my stuff. My mom convinced me to help out with an elementary school football team for a few summers in high school but that was mostly volunteer than anything to look good on college applications.”

“Wow aren’t you lucky?” He said sarcastically “Working retail you learn people are pieces of shit. Flat out. This is my 8th job since I turned 16, and people are always the same. You flash your smile and think it’ll fix everything? Well you’re good looking so of course people kiss your ass….” He said finishing stirring his coffee up, lifting it up for a sip and adding ‘Wonder how many people have fallen for that stupid look of yours.” under his breath.

“Haha me?” Erwin asked with a chuckle, swirling the ice around in his cup. “I’ve dated plenty I’ll admit; High school was the glory years right? I was head of the football team so you know stereotypical jock status in an almost farm school. My mom was a teacher so the moment I fucked up my studies in college she had my dad kick my ass and boy did I lose the college experience after that. Drinking, parties, and dating definitely took a back seat to my studies after my freshman year.”

“So Mr. Popular had to cope with his sudden status quote change and the red cups became your best friend I take it?” he asked with a slight snort between sips of coffee.

“Pretty much. My mother was always really strict about my studies and my dad basically was the ‘American Dad’ that never accepted failure of any sort. From there I just got in the habit of working hard and going out only on weekends, and despite what society told me very few people are up for one night stands.” he chuckled “My last job even gave up on getting me a date after the first few office parties.”

“So no one?” Levi asked cocking an eyebrow in question.

“Except for Mike.”

“Oh.” Levi said and Erwin could hear the light bulb going off in his head. A moment of silence passed between them, as a waitress came around and refilled Levi’s coffee and Erwin’s water. When she had finished and headed back to the kitchen Erwin cracked a smirk through his glass.

“Just kidding.” he said just as Cindy returned with their food in arms. She masterfully slid the plates onto the table, the clinking of plates on the wood breaking the silence between them. Pancakes for Erwin and a breakfast steak with eggs on the side of Levi just as ordered. After she confirmed they were set Erwin set his attention back to Levi,

“Mike and I grew up together, I think we met in middle school when his family moved down the street from mine.” He said unfolding his napkin to reveal his silverware “But no boy next door romance, just eventual drinking buddies. What about you though? School? Girlfriend? You’re friends got pretty riled up the other night when I asked about P-”

“Friend.” Levi stated cutting him off, putting his napkin on his lap before cutting into his food.

“That was a little quick.” Erwin teased as he buttered up his pancakes

“As far as anyone’s concerned we are not dating.” He said, in a tone that sounded like he had recited it a thousand times before.

“Is that so~?” Erwin hummed reaching over for some syrup and drenching his short stack in them. “I’m not one to judge you know.”

“Sure sure Mr. 5 year old.” Levi said with a hint of teasing in his tone.

“Hey at least they’re carbs, I would think that someone who wants to be a personal trainer would avoid trying to clog their arteries.” 

“When someone else pays a beggar doesn’t turn down gold.” He said taking a bite of the steak he had cut off. They sat eating in silence for a few seconds.

“Levi how poor are you?”

“You really have never worked a job in retail huh? Let’s just say that the fire marshall might not be too happy with our living situation if we ever had a house inspection.”

“That many?”

“Bunk beds in every room and sometimes someone on the couch. Basically everyone you saw at the bar the other night plus someone else.” Levi sighed, pausing to sip from his coffee. “Finding an apartment close to the school in a city like this isn’t cheap, and with the way stores pay us and give us hours it’s all we can do to get by.”

“Just trying to help.” Erwin said shrugging before digging back into his food, already feeling Levi’s glare on him.

“Aren’t you always?” Levi muttered

The two of them finished eating pretty quickly, avoiding pointless conversation from there out, and awkwardly watching each other between bites. Erwin tried not to think too hard when eating but he couldn’t help but mull over their conversations as he chewed. Erwin knew he was spoiled but was he really that spoiled? He and Mike mostly grew up in similar situations with their families and finances so he never really knew too much else. He wasn’t ignorant though because there were many people that they knew that never went to college and just joined their family’s business after high school graduation. As he began to fight himself on calculating how much Levi must make on a paycheck, he noticed Levi had finished up his food and was draining his coffee cup.

“Almost done you lug?”

“Mhmm” Erwin nodded, mouth full

“Cool I’m going to step outside for a bit, I’ll just wait for you out there.” He said sliding off the red cushioned bench and heading straight for the door. Erwin sopped up what was left on his plate with his toast and received the bill from Cindy who wished him a good day. After paying at the front for their meal Erwin mentally took note to make sure to rearrange his spending habits for a bit to be able to compensate for meals for two from now on. Stepping out the door the smell of cigarettes immediately hit him like a brick wall and he turned to see Levi smoking and checking his phone. Erwin stood silently near him for a few seconds before Levi noticed and turned his phone’s screen off, taking a long drag as if taking a deep breath in preparation of being lectured.

“Lung cancer and clogged arteries huh?” Erwin said digging his keys out of his jacket pocket. Levi shrugged, putting the butt into the ashcan next to him.

“Dirty gross habit.” He said walking over to Erwin’s car with him.

“Then why continue?” Erwin said hitting the unlock button on his keyring, causing his little car to give two small beeps. It wasn’t the newest by far, but Erwin favored his 5 year old car over anything else. It was reliable, easy to fix, and decent gas milage which he counted as a god send some days.

“Because life sucks and punching something can only get you so far to relax.” He said reaching the car first and opening up the passenger's door.

“Guess I’m really privileged to not have been pushed into that sort of situation then.” Erwin noted, opening his door and sliding behind the wheel. His nose crinkled up a bit at the smell that lingered to Levi’s clothes but ignored it just asking “Alright, where to now? Home or School?”

“School I guess.” Levi said sinking into the seat, typing some stuff on his phone and bringing up a map for Erwin to look at. He shoved the phone into Erwin’s hands as he put his seatbelt on, and Erwin fumbled with it a bit, with it being much smaller than his own phone.

“So just up the road and two lefts?” He asked confirming their route

“Essentially. If you don’t have anything else I would loved to be dropped off in front of the union building.” He said taking the phone back.

“As long as you tell me the way.” Erwin said flashing one of his smiles at him, earning him an eye roll that made him chuckle as he started the ignition and they went on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as for Levi's rent situation I'm basing it on the area I live which while it's not a big city, it's priced about the same as some of the places I'm looking into moving (Bay area specifically) which can run around 1400 a month for a two bedroom apartment if you're lucky. (2k for a 3 bedroom) Very real situation I know a lot of people in now because employers are only giving out 15- 28 hours a week to people if they're lucky and house stuffing sucks but YAY COLLEGE EDUCATION.


	7. A little fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin gets bored while waiting for Levi to get off work

The sun was hot as it beat down despite the cold winter air outside as Erwin sat in his car, suddenly recalling old lessons about the greenhouse effect and he itched to roll up his long sleeves. Drumming his fingers on the stack of papers in his he felt his mind wandering, trying to avoid muddling through the large amount of legal jargon in his lap. He turned the radio on and off multiple times, changed the station repeatedly, going through AM and PM about 5 different times and yet there were still 20 minutes left until Levi was supposed to get off work. Erwin had anticipated traffic was going to be bad, like every other time he had driven at 3:30 in the afternoon, but today had been unusually clear of accidents and bottleneck traffic. Erwin moved the papers from work from his lap into the passenger's seat, stretching out his cramped limbs and slight grunt in the process. He felt his body become more and more restless as the seconds ticking by with nothing interesting enough to keep his mind or body entertained. Getting antsy he contemplated if going to the mall across the street was worth his time and energy, he weighed the options of moving his body but not really having enough time to do anything once he got there and knowing he’d only have a few minutes to look at food, much less order anything other than a coffee from the food court before having to turn back to meet Levi as he got off the shift; remembering one of his many pet peeves of ‘stupid girls showing up 15 minutes late with starbucks’ and Erwin could foresee a harsh lecture if he went that route. On the thought of Levi chastising him, his mind wandered and thought about how they had been working together for about a week and a half, but Erwin already noticed some of Levi’s unique mannerisms. Things that made him irritated, and the things that made levi semi-pleasant or at least satisfied. Erwin recognized his talent in coaching, seeming satisfied as long as Erwin pushed himself and didn’t slack off, but not letting Erwin push himself to the point of hurting himself, and even sometimes teasing him and making working out fun, and appreciated the hard work he put in when his coaches couldn’t meet up with him. In return he noticed that Levi didn’t mind working out with him and proving that he could walk the walk, as well as taking shit from Erwin and some teasing when he didn’t complain. As he thought more and more about the small teasing a dumb grin spread across his face and Erwin slowly got an idea that was much better than the mall that he couldn’t possibly pass up. He rolled down his sleeves in a rush and grabbed his jacket from the back of his car and locked up the car before making his way across the parking lot into Levi’s work.

 

It had not been a good 7 hours for Levi. Retail was not really pleasant to start with but today had been horribly bad. The first half of his shift in the morning had consisted of more people than usual leaving trash around the store shoved between merchandise, and someone’s dumb child puking in and aisle all which he had to clean up as he recovered his section and attempted to do go backs that were never finished the night before. From there it went downhill as people called out and being put on register after his lunch break as a last resort to cover open areas. Levi hated register, and his bosses hated him at register, but being so short staffed neither of them had a choice since Levi at least knew how to handle money and work the POS system. To be honest Levi wouldn’t have minded so much if he didn’t have a resting bitch face and was always told to smile, but with that he decided he hated it, with the customers arguing prices with him or never leaving him alone during the few minutes he had after clearing out his line. Todays never ending line had exhausted him more than normal and was looking forward to his routine shower after training with Erwin. On that thought he noted he actually semi looked forward to working on sparring with Erwin in today’s workout to at the very least be able to take his stress out physically on someone without getting in trouble. He snapped his thoughts back to his work as some woman tried to argue the sale price of some cleats for her son as he scanned them, and rolled his eyes slightly at the soccer mom as she refused to let him continue with her purchase. He grabbed the small mic that was pinned at the corner of his shirt, and radioed someone in the shoes department to get a price check for the item. As he released the button and looked up to scan his line behind her his eyebrows stitched together at a familiar tall blonde man with large eyebrows next in line looking at things on his phone. Erwin must have sensed his glare and looked up from his browsing to smile at Levi’s upset face. As someone buzzed in Levi’s ear he snapped his attention back to the register, inputting the correct price and discount much to the woman’s dismay. He relayed the information back to the woman who tried to continue arguing with him and all he could do is tiredly tell her over and over that there was nothing he could do. When she eventually gave in and paid (after making sure to tell him she was going to call corporate) she left and finally gave Levi a chance to take a deep breath and try to recover from that whole ordeal and prepare for the next. Erwin stepped up to the counter and put down four protein bars, keeping his eyes low and avoiding Levi’s gaze as he a small smile twitched at his lips as he retrieved his wallet from his jacket pocket. 

“Find everything alright today…..Sir.” Levi asked out of habit, watching Erwin’s face grown mroe and more smug by the second.

“Yeah I found everything okay, thanks.” He replied pulling out a couple of bills from his wallet as Levi scanned the bars.

“Has it been busy today? Seems a little more chaotic than usual.” Erwin asked, pushing small talk onto the table. He could almost see Levi’s temper rising as he put the bars in a small bag.

“Yeah just a little busy. Is that all for you today?”

“Yeah…” Erwin said as Levi took his cash and punched buttons into his computer and retrieving the right amount of change from the drawer holding a hand out for Erwin to take as he held his bag in the other hand. Erwin retrieved the change, stuffing it into his pocket and then reaching out for his bag from Levi’s waiting hand.

“Almost done.” Erwin whispered, and Levi continue to frown at him grumbling something then adding a “Have a good day.” through his teeth, knowing his shift lead was so conveniently working a few aisles over and watching him like a hawk for the last half of his shift. 

“I’ll see you in 5 then” Erwin said quietly, smile spread very childlike across his face, pocketing his wallet as Levi glanced at the dock on the bottom of his POS screen. Erwin strode away from the counter, small twig shaped woman behind him shoving forward and dumping things onto the counter with lots of chatter on her end. As he made his way out to his car Erwin dug out one of the protein bars and unwrapped it as he unlocked the car and slid it. He pulled his papers back into his lap, finding some concentration come back to him as he munched on the bar. He got through about two pages and a snack and a half before one of his back doors was flung open and a backpack was thrown in with a thud on the seat before the door slamming loudly. His passenger door opened and Levi slid in, slamming his door closed behind him.

“What the fuck was that for?” Levi asked as her slouched down into the seat, reaching for the seatbelt and buckling it before raising his knees and pressing his legs up against the dashboard.

“Mmmmmmm don’t know what you’re talking about.” Erwin teased, holding half of his second protein bar in his mouth and fumbling around in the bag and holding it out to Levi with a grin.

“Hungry?” he said through a mouth full of granola.

“You motherfucker.” Levi said snatching the bag from him and retrieving the last of the protein bars and unwrapped it with silent graduated.

“It was either this or coffee.” Erwin laughed putting his papers in their respective folder and tucked into the back seat. “I figured something solid would be better than nothing.” He finished as he put his keys into the ignition and started up the car.

“I really hope this isn’t your definition of a meal….” Levi said through a full mouth.

“I’ll have to hope a drive-thru burger will do then.” He teased pulling out of the parking lot slowly, with attention on his rear view mirrors.

“Please, my lunch consisted of a bag of chips hours ago.”

“That’s it?”

“And a smoke.”

“Mmmmmm….” Erwin hummed, his disapproval clear and well known to Levi at this point

“Tch, please.” Levi replied, finishing up the small snack and crumpling the wrapper and shoving it back into the bag.

Erwin couldn’t quite help but chuckle at his bad mood, feeling more at comfort he noted when Levi was there, despite his seemingly bad attitude to everything.

“Alright so burgers….” Erwin said getting onto the freeway and merging with traffic on their slightly routine way to the gym.

“But the real question is do you want to eat now or after training?”

“Before as much as I don’t want to clog my arteries before running, passing out would be a bad idea since it’s going to happen unless I get real food in me soon.”

“Alright alright then, is In-n-Out okay?” Erwin asked trying to think of what drive through places would be on the way or at least near the gym.

“You know I’m okay with whatever, you don’t have to ask.”

“I know, but isn’t it the thought that counts in these kinds of situations?” Erwin said checking his side mirrors and switching lanes.

“I guess..” Levi mumbled

 

“Did you not like that burger cause damn I am sore….” Erwin whined stretching his arms behind his head. Levi didn’t say anything but rolled his shoulders under his jacket as they walked to Erwin’s car. It wasn’t that he disliked it, but it was more of feeling gross after eating something with that much grease dripping off the sides and pushed Erwin and himself harder than normal to rid himself of the feeling, as well as get an excuse to take another shower after the workout.

“You’re just a baby….” Was the only thing Levi grumbled pulling his sleeves over his hands, “I don’t push you any more than you can handle, you just have to trust me that your plans will work and I’ll follow through.”

“Is that what your trainers told you before you got hurt?” Erwin asked as they made their way over to his car through the parking lot.

“It wasn’t their fault,” Levi said sharply, “…… It was my own stupidity.”

“? You want to elaborate?” Erwin asked quizzically

“Not to you asshole.”

“Fine fine, so what do you want to do now?”

“You mentioned a couple times you were still hungry, you want to go grab more food?”

“Uhh… I would love to but I don’t really have any more money for the day Levi.”

“Do you want to come over then? I could probably scrounge something up and I think it was Petra’s turn to cook so there might be some leftovers as well.”

“Oh Levi I wouldn’t wa-“ to which Levi rolled his eyes and cut him off

“I invited you it’s fine, just come over you know we don’t bite.” He said as they reached the car.

Erwin pursed his lips and unlocked the car, climbing in the drivers seat as Levi slid in as well. He started up the car when they were settled and drove in silence most of the way, only speaking when Levi directed Erwin where to park. Erwin had drive to and from Levi’s a few times now so he knew the way, but always dropped him off near the entrance so this time was a little different. Levi and Erwin walked to the stairwell, and Erwin followed behind quietly watching Levi move around clearly familiar with the older complex. As Levi walked up the stairs in front of him he took a moment to glance over his shoulder to make sure he was still being followed and continued up to the top of the landing not looking back again. For some reason Erwin hesitated before stepping onto the stairwell as if it was a path to an unknown world. He scampered up the stairs before Levi got too far away and reached the top of the landing as Levi finished unlocking his front door and pushed it open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So life has been rough in these last few months, really getting to me. Capstone class, final presentation, graduating, moving twice, job hunting etc and really just killed my time to write. What I did have written was in a notebook that was misplaced during our move which I thought was gone forever until we uncovered it on our final move out. It's been really nice to have again and a real motivation to continue transcribing and adding on to what I came up with. Since I'm on vacation now I've been writing on my flights and getting a lot done so I hope to have a few more chapters up in the next week or two. 
> 
> Also thank you so much for the kind words last chapter and kudos I've received, I really appreciated each and every one of them


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin takes a look into Levi's home life and sees a different side of him

“I’m home..” He called out into the apartment as Erwin came behind him, keeping close as Levi took off his shoes and placed them near the front door. Erwin peered in at the medium sized apartment, clearly housing more people than one might expect for its size. Erwin followed suit, taking his shoes off near the entrance and neatly putting them next to the small pile that was built up next to the couch. He stepped forward as Levi reached behind him, pulling the door shut, glancing at the layout, which he noted was very square filled with older worn, very college things. An old couch sat just past the doorway, goodwill coffee table close to it littered with books and papers as a woman who looked a little older than Petra sat on the floor at the end scribbling away, glancing up as they entered the main area.

“Yo, Levi.” She said raising a hand at him before noticing Erwin for the first time and tilting her head slightly to the side.

“This is Erwin, he was the one we met at he bar a few weeks ago.” Levi said pushing past Erwin and making his way to what he gathered was the kitchen given by the older appliances shoved into a small nook that protruded from the room. The woman scampered up to greet Erwin, offering out a hand to shake and introducing herself with a big smile.

“Nice to meet you Erwin! I’m Hanji, sorry for the mess I’m in the middle of a paper and didn’t expect anyone over.”

“Who are you kidding it always looks like a disaster area.” Levi called from the fridge, not looking at them. Hanji scuttled back and put her papers and books in what one could call piles and pushed a pillow and small blanket to the side of the couch she was sitting near making room for Erwin. He awkwardly sat down in the cleared space not knowing what to do with himself as Levi was still busy in the kitchen. Glancing over Hanji’s papers he noticed vast equations and diagrams littering the pages annotated with illegible notes.

“Hanji what are you studying if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Oh this? Just a bit of O chem and Biology work. I’m trying to work my way up to my grad student proposal to do a long-term study on what kind of exercise transforms the body under different kinds of stress. Very ‘to help physical therapy kind of thing but I really just want to see if we can see the point of certain physical mutations taking form based on physical strain.”

“Sounds…. Interesting….” Erwin noted thinking about what kinds of ‘mutations’ she might be trying to find under such experiments.

“That sure is one word for it…” Levi said hovering the small table holding two bowls in his hands. He offered one out to Erwin, which he took gratefully with two hands carefully not to drop anything on Hanji’s work. Peering down into the bowl he was given he saw it was full with chicken drenched in alfredo sauce.

“Sorry it’s nothing fancy.” Levi said sitting across from him on the floor, starting to shovel what was in his bowl into his mouth. 

“No it’s all good, I really appreciate this.” He replied scooping up a small piece onto his fork and taking a bite. It wasn’t bad he thought as he chewed, just slightly bland tasting very much out of a can.

“Levi!” He heard in an irritated tone, glancing up to see Petra standing above him hands on her hips. “You bring someone over and still don’t offer them anything?” she said looking at him disapprovingly, beer bottle and pack of cigarettes on the table in front of him. Looking away form her harsh stare he paused to take a sip from the bottle and shovel more food into his mouth.

“I’m so sorry Erwin, can I get you anything to drink?” she asked turning to him, making her tone sweeter.

“Ah, just a glass of water would be fine.” He replied quickly swallowing what he was chewing. She scurried over to the kitchen opening up a cabinet and retrieving a glass for him.

“Are the guys still at work?” Levi asked Hanji or Petra Erwin concluded. 

“Gunther’s in his room, studying for that big test he has coming up but the others are.” Hanji said not looking up from her notes. “Probably going to get back late…” She hummed tapping her pen on paper distracted by her thoughts.

‘That’s right….’ Erwin remembered the group back at the bar, surprised that they could fit that many college guys under one roof.

“Much thanks.” He said to Petra as she handed him a glass of water, making her way to sit next to Levi on the floor.

“Laundry’s done, trash is out, and you already found dinner so everything is ready for you when you’re done.” She sighed in an exhausted tone. “And I thought I told you to lay off the beer when you’re at home.” She said eyeing the bottle in front of him. He shrugged at her “It was a rough day cut me some slack, I’ll get to chores in a bit don’t worry.” He said swiping what was left in his bowel into his mouth before getting up and taking his bowl to the sink. Erwin watched him quietly, slowly eating the food he had been offered. Levi returned and picked up his box of cigarettes from the table, gave them a few small taps and Erwin presumed he headed to the landing outside the door.

“Sorry he’s such a drain on you Mr. Smith.” Petra said with a small smile, leaning back onto her hands. Erwin shook his head at her, clearing his throat before speaking.

“He’s not too much trouble, a bit more than what I’m used to financially supporting but he’s a good guy and does good work, if he would just kick that smoking habit….”

“Oh don’t we all.” Petra said rolling her eyes “I’m glad to hear that, he doesn’t get much opportunity in the program so it’s good to hear that his methods are working for you. Sometimes I really wonder if he’s actually struggling or if he just doesn’t connect well with people.”

“Oh? Have you two taken classes together?” Erwin asked out of curiosity

“Yeah, we’re actually in the same program, he just has a bit more trouble on proving himself due to is rough nature.”

“Huh interesting…. Well if it’s any consolation he’s doing quite well as a trainer. I don’t have any physical results yet, but my personal exam is coming up in a couple of weeks and if I do well enough the owners will definitely take notice.”

“Well then you better not fuck up all the work I’ve done with you.” Levi said from the open door at the entrance 

“I’ll try my best.” Erwin said nodding at him as he lifted his glass and drank some water as if it was some kind of toast to Levi’s abilities.

Erwin saw Levi put out what was left of his cigarette on the dark frame of the house and flicking the butt over the edge of the railing before walking back inside and heading to the kitchen and washing his hands a few times before rinsing out his dishes. Erwin finished off what was left in his bowl quickly before getting up and taking it over to Levi who was waiting with the faucet running. He reached out for the bowl but Erwin ignored it and grabbed the sponge sitting on the counter and dunking the bowl and his hand under the stream of water. What he wasn’t expecting was boiling water and he let out a loud yelp as he dropped the bowl in the sink and yanked his hand back.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Petra said jumping up and rushing to his side as Hanji paused from her work to watch the commotion.

“Yeah yeah I’m fine……” He said quietly turning the dial to the right and all the way to the coldest setting, dunking his hand under the water. As he did so he glanced at Levi’s hands that as far as he remembered were uncovered washing the exact same bowl clean. Sure enough his hands were not only uncovered but were tinged red up to his wrist.

“Levi are you okay? Your hands are worse than mine.” He said pulling his hand out from the water and taking a towel to dry it off from a fretting Petra that stood beside him.

Levi looked down at his hands and just shrugged “I’m used to it, I’m fine.”

“Mr go grab the first aid kit from our bathroom.” Petra ordered his with slight irritation in her voice

“Petra I’ll be fine, it just stings a little, nothing I can’t handle.” Erwin said trying to not cause them any more trouble

“No, Neosporin just in case. Levi go.” Letting out a sigh Levi complied and shut off the water before pushing out of the kitchen and through the living room into a small hallway.

“Stupid man child….” Erwin heard muttered from his side and he looked down to see Petra fussing over his hand still. Erwin gave her a quizzical look “Are you talking about Levi?” he asked

“Yes, he thinks that the only way to clean things is with the hottest water he can get and ignores his body’s signs of pain. Sometimes I wonder if he actually enjoys it the way he looks after showers.” She said shaking her head. Erwin thought about what she meant by that and remembered that Levi never failed to take a shower after every session they did together. He took a mental note to maybe keep an eye out for him from now on. Levi was back before Petra could say anything else with a small red zippered case in his hands. He put it on he counter and opened it up, finding a small tube of cream among bundles of gauze, Band-Aids, cooling packs, and other small one-time use ointments. Petra finally released Erwin’s hand and stepped aside as Levi uncapped the small tube. Erwin offered his hand out, small red mark stretching from his middle finger knuckle to his wrist. Levi took his hand into his own much smaller ones, carefully handling Erwin and spreading a small line across the center of the mark. He rolled his hand into his left and supported it while he used his index and middle fingers to gently spread the cream and rub it into the skin. Erwin noticed how gentle Levi was being despite is commonly rough exterior, showing him even more that Levi knew what he was doing and could be trusted. His small, toughened hands worked their way across the area, only causing Erwin to flinch once or twice with the unexpected pressure. When Levi seemed satisfied he grabbed a small paper packed and ripped it open with his teeth, and pulling out a small gauze patch. He carefully placed it on the slick skin proceeded to grab the medical tape and put down strips to hold the patch in place. He held Erwin’s hand in his own for a few seconds, and Erwin watched him just as he watched him through the whole processed and enjoyed the lingering moments of Levi’s seldom gentleness. After and awkward pause where both of the stopped moving and just paused while they were caught in some moment Levi pulled away and quickly packed everything away before heading off to what Erwin presumed was the bathroom and put away the medical kit. Erwin turned over his hand a few times, inspecting Levi’s handiwork as he stepped away. 

“Again I’m so sorry Erwin!” Petra said drawing his attention away from his wound and back to her.

“Just no boxing gloves and keep an eye on it I take it?” He said with a smile in return. She nodded a few times in agreement as Levi came back, same grumpy face in place.

“Don’t worry Petra I’ll keep an eye on it too. Erwin I hate to rush you out but it’s getting late and I would hate to see what would happen to you if you tried doing anything tired.” Erwin silently agreed, heading to the entranceway where his shoes awaited him. Levi and Petra silently paced behind him to the door and opened it up for Erwin when he tapped his shoes into place on his feet.

“Don’t get in an accident.” Levi said as Erwin stepped out the door, turning to say his goodbyes, only offering a smile in return.

“I’ll see you later Hanji! Nice meeting you!” He called out behind the duo, “And good to see you again Petra.” He said turning to her and shaking her hand gently.

“See you in a couple of days.” Levi said as Erwin turned to the stairs and waved goodbye. When He arrived at his car he took a few moments sitting in the seat processing how gentle Levi’s touch was to him and what might bring out the gentle touch again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright second chapter I needed to finish up from my flight finally done @__@ Enjoy!


End file.
